Distinct brain circuits explain contradictory behaviors of new weight-loss drugs
Cambridge researchers have discovered that weight-loss drugs targeting the GIPR protein work through different brain regions depending on whether they stimulate or block the receptor. This finding explains why drugs with opposite actions can achieve similar weight-loss results and could improve future obesity treatments.
Why it matters
Understanding the specific neural mechanisms of obesity drugs allows for more precise drug development and potentially more effective treatments for a global health crisis.
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Add as preferred source Credit: Amel Uzunovic from Pexels Cambridge scientists have solved the mystery of why both stimulating and blocking a particular "switch" in the brain can help people lose weight—findings that could help boost the effectiveness of obesity drugs.
Published in Nature Metabolism , the study in mice shows that the answer lies in where the switch is located: Stimulating the switch in the brainstem suppresses appetite, while the same effect can be achieved by blocking the switch in the hypothalamus.
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